For patrons visiting the archives in Fredericton, we are currently experiencing a disruption in elevator service. As a result, this eliminates our wheelchair access. We are endeavouring to correct this as soon as possible and will notify the public as soon as it is rectified.

Hardships and DisappointmentsThe first few years were difficult, and the settlers experienced setbacks. The 1873 harvest was small, owing to poor weather and the limited amount of acreage under cultivation. During the first winter, the colonists were forced to pay "famine" or extremely high prices for food. As sources of income dried-up and crops failed to meet family needs, some of the newcomers required charitable assistance to subsist. The Friends of the Society of Saint Andrew in Fredericton and Saint John, for example, offered financial aid to the sick, suffering, and unemployed, but want was still felt among the colonists. A number of the settlers, disillusioned and discouraged by the harsh realities of pioneer life, decided on a new course. They left Scotch Colony and found work as labourers with local farmers or as tradesmen and day labourers in Fredericton, Woodstock, and Saint John. Others returned to Scotland or moved to more settled areas in New Brunswick or to the United States where many established farms.